Chapter 950: Provincial Capital

Coming for the first time, they didn't dare to park the tractor too close to the factory, so they just parked it on the side of the road.

Ye Yaodong and Pei Guang, bold and skilled, walked toward the factory gate with curiosity on their faces.

The three middle-aged men stood by the tractor, looking forward with anticipation.

"Dongzi runs around all day and doesn't feel afraid in strange places. He comes when he says he will. I don't even feel it's real that my feet are on this land, actually arriving in the provincial capital," Ye Fu sighed.

Pei Fu nodded with deep understanding, "Yes, actually arriving in the provincial capital. I wouldn't dare believe it if I said it out loud. I thought the furthest I'd ever go was the city, and that was only passing through when running a boat, but I never even went down to walk around. Jumping over the city and arriving in the provincial capital all at once, it feels so unreal no matter how I think about it."

Even Uncle Zhou laughed and said, "I only came once more than ten years ago, following two tractor drivers from the village to learn how to drive a tractor, and came once more to learn how to repair tractors."

"The changes now are really big. Ten years ago, there weren't such tall buildings. Walking all the way here just now, I thought I'd gone to the wrong place. The streets are different, and the mental outlook of the people looks much better."

"The road is full of all kinds of vendors. It really looks different. Who would have dared to think of this in the past? Just ten years, and it could change so fast. Many empty lots that had no one before have become buildings several stories high."

"I thought the changes in our city were big, but I didn't expect the changes in the provincial capital to be even bigger. In the past, I wouldn't have dared to think of it. Can buildings really be built so high? We don't have such tall buildings in our city."

Ye Fu echoed, "Yes, I've never seen such tall buildings in my life. I don't know how many stories there are. Too amazing, too tall."

"Later, when they finish their business, we really have to go take a good look and stroll around, otherwise, we won't know what the outside has become now."

"Right, we have to go take a look. It's fortunate that we followed. Young people are bold, daring to fight and break through, leaving as soon as they say so."

The old men were chatting on the side of the road, while the two young men swaggered straight toward the factory gate.

The old man watching the gate immediately shouted through the window, "Who are you? Who are you looking for?"

They couldn't understand the local dialect, but they could guess he was asking why they came.

Ye Yaodong communicated in his much-improved Mandarin, "We are here to repair a motorcycle. Is... Director Yu here? He was the one who answered when I called before."

"Don't see a motorcycle?" The old man also spoke in broken Mandarin, while looking behind them, seeing nothing.

"It's on the tractor. We didn't dare park at the gate, fearing it would affect you, so we parked on the side of the road first. Uncle, is it convenient for you to help us call someone? Sorry to trouble you." As he said this, he directly pulled out two cigarettes and passed them over.

The old man's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly reached out to take them, "Oh my, this is high-end stuff. You're too polite, too polite."

"Sorry to trouble you."

"Good, good, good, I'll go to the workshop and call someone."

He happily came out of the guard room, having been sitting there without moving before.

"Looks like cigarettes are a stepping stone everywhere," A Guang muttered in a low voice.

"Definitely. Regardless of whether people smoke or not, they can take them to exchange for money."

"This old man didn't move his butt at all just now, but moved immediately after seeing the cigarettes."

"In such a big factory, even if you're watching the gate, you can't get in without connections. Fortunately, I specifically prepared a few more packs of cigarettes before leaving. Not to mention, cigarettes are very useful wherever you go."

"This factory is really big. I've never seen such a big factory. I don't know how much money it can make in a year."

"Who knows? We aren't here to work, just to repair a motorcycle. How much money the factory makes has nothing to do with us. Just wait."

"If you wanted to come to work, people would think you were talking in your sleep."

"You wouldn't even be qualified to watch the gate."

Mutual damage, he could do that too.

"Definitely. Who would have a young person watch the gate? I'm at the age of counting money. I'll come back to retire when I'm seventy or eighty."

"Wake up, it's not dark yet."

The two of them leaned against the wall, bantering, you insult me, I block you.

Before long, the old man at the gate came out with a slovenly middle-aged man. The middle-aged man had a full beard that he hadn't shaved for who knows how many days, his face was full of exhaustion, and his eyes were bloodshot, which startled the two of them.

"You are the Comrade Ye Yaodong who contacted me the day before yesterday, right?"

Ye Yaodong hurriedly nodded with a smile, "Yes, it's me. Hello, Director Yu. I've brought the motorcycle. Can I have the tractor driver drive to the gate and unload it now?"

"I'll go take a look at how damaged it is first, and whether it can be repaired."

"Sigh, alright."

It seems like working in a big factory isn't easy either. Look, don't know how many days he hasn't slept. I'm so afraid he'll die suddenly.

Ye Fu and the others stood by the tractor, watching Ye Yaodong and Pei Guang bring a person toward them, and they all straightened their bodies.

Ye Yaodong led the man to the back of the tractor, "It's right on top. Should we climb up and take a look first?"

"Hmm? Is this military-issued?" the man called Director Yu asked in surprise.

"Yes. A big shot passed through our place and got injured, and the motorcycle rolled down the hillside with him. He was in a hurry to report for duty, so he let me keep it first. I thought I'd fix it first, so whenever he comes over, he can drive it away directly."

Director Yu was skeptical, "Really?"

"Of course. Otherwise, how could I have a motorcycle? Who dares to touch the things of the People's Liberation Army? And I'm swaggering here to get it repaired. If you don't believe me, I'll go into your factory and make a call to him, and you can ask about the truth."

"Alright then, I'll check it first. After checking, you can go into the factory and make a call to let me confirm."

After saying this, he climbed onto the tractor to check.

Ye Fu and the others' hearts were also lifted by the questioning just now. Clearly, they hadn't done anything wrong, but when asked by others, they felt guilty, fearing they would bring trouble to the director for no reason.

Ye Yaodong, however, didn't care at all, just verifying with Director Chen. He had mentioned it when he visited that day, asking if it would cause him trouble, and he said he had handled it and had been promoted to the top position.

Sending it for repair, he didn't say anything, and it was just a phone call later.

"The engine of this car isn't broken, just externally damaged. Repair the parts and accessories, and assemble it again, and it'll be about right," Director Yu jumped down from the tractor and said.

Ye Yaodong's eyes lit up, "So it can be repaired?"

"Hehe, it can be repaired. Drive the tractor to the factory gate and move it down."

"Sigh, alright, thank you. How many days will the repair take?"

"The factory is very busy now, increasing production capacity. Generally, these repairs have to be queued. For when it will be repaired, wait half a month and then call to ask."

"Uh, are there many motorcycles waiting for repair?"

"Not many, just two or three, but we can't spare the manpower."

Ye Yaodong looked at his full beard and tired eyes, and understood.

"Alright, then pull it into the factory first."

A busy time for several people, and people from the factory also came out to help unload the tractor and put it on an iron plate with wheels.

"Wait... Director Yu, should you give me a repair slip? Otherwise, how will I pick up the car later?"

"I will. Come into the office with me to make a call to verify, and then I'll give you a repair slip."

Damn! If he couldn't verify it, would it be confiscated directly?

"Then let's leave the motorcycle here first. I wouldn't be at ease if it were pushed away like this, hehe, sorry, I'm an honest person, just speaking the truth."

"Fine, then go to the office to make a call and open a slip first, and then send the motorcycle to the repair workshop."

Ye Yaodong felt that the man was too tired to say much, so he didn't talk nonsense and followed him to the office.

Then, in front of him, he called Director Chen, let him listen to the content of the call, and Director Chen also helped him talk to this person, asking him to help with the repair.

Only then did this bearded Director Yu feel at ease and give him a repair slip.

"Call after half a month to confirm. When I tell you it's repaired, you come over to drive it, so you don't make a wasted trip."

"Alright, thank you very much. Director Yu, you should also pay more attention to rest. Your complexion doesn't look very good, and you look very tired. You should haven't rested well for a long time. Your body is the most important. If it collapses, you can't do any work, and the gain won't make up for the loss."

He nodded and didn't say much.

Ye Yaodong didn't talk nonsense either, just caring a few words politely, wanting to gain some favor. If he didn't want to talk, then he wouldn't talk.

When they walked to the factory gate, Ye Yaodong watched the motorcycle being pushed in.

"Fine, then you guys go first."

"Alright, then we're leaving first."

The one thousand yuan in cash he brought in his crotch hadn't been used. He put his hands in his pockets, secretly touched his crotch, felt the real thing, and felt at ease.

The group turned and walked out again.

"Shall we go to the city for a stroll now?"

"Let's go to the city and take a look. We originally planned to run around everywhere."

"Then let's go to the liveliest area we just passed, where the buildings are the tallest, and incidentally eat something. We were in a hurry to find a place just now, only stopped to ask for directions, and didn't think about eating."

"Are we going back tonight?"

Ye Yaodong looked at his watch, "It's almost one o'clock. If we stroll and go back, the sun will set. It's not safe to walk at night. Shall we stay in the guesthouse for one night and go back early tomorrow morning?"

"Then go back tomorrow, so we don't end up like that leader before, rolling down the hillside."

"It wasn't the leader who rolled down the hillside, it was the clerk. It was dark and he didn't see the road clearly, and it was a bend, so he rolled down the hillside."

"Said it wrong, anyway, just know what it means."

They also told Uncle Zhou that they would go back tomorrow, and now they were walking toward the urban area they had just passed.

After the important matter was finished, everyone felt relaxed, and it didn't take long to go to the urban area. It was time-consuming when they came because they were opening and asking for directions.

When walking back, everyone was in high spirits, looking at the scenery along the way.

Ye Yaodong, however, hurriedly called for a stop when the tractor drove through a section of the road.

Uncle Zhou thought something had happened and hurriedly stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong, Dongzi?"

"What are you doing? Why call for a stop for no reason?"

Everyone turned to look at him.

Ye Yaodong pointed to the factory building that had already been passed and left behind, "I saw the Agricultural Machinery Factory. This should be the factory that produces tractors. I didn't look carefully at the scenery on the side of the road when I came, I didn't expect the tractor factory to be in this area too."

Uncle Zhou smiled and said, "This tractor of mine was also produced by this factory at that time. It's been decades and it's still here."

"Let's go take a look, anyway, we're already here."

"What's there to see? We aren't buying. If we go in, we might be kicked out. How can you just enter this kind of state-run factory?"

"Yes, this requires an introduction letter, and a subscription letter from the unit, right? How can you just enter if you want to?"

"You guys wait here, I'll go ask."

He had read the newspaper. At the beginning of this year, it had already been opened to allow farmers to purchase motor vehicles and tractors individually or in joint households, but he didn't know what procedures were needed.

When he saw this news at that time, he specifically kept it in his heart, thinking that whenever he planned to buy a tractor, he could go directly to the factory to book it, it didn't necessarily have to be a unit.

Although this document is small, it is the first time to clearly define the legality of private purchase of automobiles and tractors, meaning that car consumption will have a qualitative leap in both policy and production and sales—shifting from the single channel of public car purchase to diversified consumption.

"I'll go with you." A Guang followed closely behind him and jumped down.

The two old fathers couldn't stop them and could only watch them run away.

Ye Fu couldn't help but mutter, "How can they be so bold? This kind of big state-run factory, how can they just go to the door when they say so."

"Maybe they're thinking that since they're here and passed by, they're curious and want to take a look. Let's wait first, anyway, they'll be kicked out in a moment."

Uncle Zhou couldn't help but ask, "Is Adong planning to buy a tractor?"

"Ah? Didn't hear about it? Didn't mention it to me, maybe just passing by?" Ye Fu said in surprise.

"I heard he also made a lot of money on this trip. Buying a 25-horsepower tractor only costs six thousand yuan. Didn't he say he wanted to buy one?"

"Didn't mention it to me, I don't know either. This kid has his own ideas, I don't know what his plans are. Anyway, when we chatted about plans last night, he didn't mention buying a tractor."

"Oh."

Ye Fu and Pei Fu looked at each other, both knowing it in their hearts, but didn't open their mouths to discuss it.

They all knew Uncle Zhou's worry. Dongzi is now a big household in the village, and also Uncle Zhou's big customer. Throughout the year, his personal use of the car is worth the sum of all the other work he takes on.

Losing Dongzi as a big customer, his income would shrink by half.

However, looking at how frequently he uses the car now, it's really better to buy one himself. Although it consumes a lot of oil, the tractor is durable and won't break for decades. If you use it for a long time, it will pay for itself in a few years, and you don't have to let others earn the money.

Ye Yaodong also thought so. Buying one now can still be used forty years later. The quality of things in this era is top-notch, and it will be even more valuable forty years later. Although the purchasing power of the two eras is different, it won't be a loss.

The most critical thing is that after having a tractor, he can handle the transportation problem himself and realize a one-stop service, without entrusting others. Anyway, he has people and money now.

The policy has also been opened, and individuals or joint households are allowed to buy and sell, which is also a good opportunity.

Last year he wanted to buy the brigade's, but he just thought about Uncle Zhou's feelings, and he was the brigade's tractor driver. Besides, he didn't have anyone on hand at that time, and he didn't have time to drive it himself.

Ye Yaodong and the others went back and forth very quickly. After getting on the car, they told Uncle Zhou to continue walking.

Uncle Zhou also felt relieved. He didn't delay for too long, indicating that he was kicked out directly and didn't go in.

Ye Fu asked him in a low voice from behind, "Kicked out?"

"No, I didn't go in either, they wouldn't let me."

"That's being kicked out."

"Can you not think like that? I just went over to ask two questions, do you hope so much that I'll be kicked out?"

"Isn't it thinking that if you weren't kicked out, how could you come back so fast?"

Ye Yaodong glanced at his father and ignored him.

He actually did ask if he could enter.

After he couldn't enter, he asked if an individual could really buy it. He said he had seen it from the newspaper, and that individual purchase had already been allowed, but he didn't know what conditions were needed.

Then, because he knew how to handle things, an old uncle at the gate told him everything he knew.

He said that motor vehicles, ships, and tractors purchased by farmers individually or in joint households for non-business transportation, serving agricultural production and farmers' lives, and transporting agricultural and sideline products sold to the state or to the market, can be transported with a certificate from the township government.

For business transportation, one must hold a certificate from the production brigade or village committee, apply for registration with the local industrial and commercial administrative department, and only after being reviewed and approved by the county and city industrial and commercial administrative departments and issued a business license can one operate.

There are no restrictions on purchasing, just provide proof of identity.

After getting the information, he left satisfied.

The dried fish he transports belongs to agricultural and sideline products, not for profit-making transportation procedures, so it's not that troublesome, just need a certificate from the township government.

But he didn't dare to decide on the spot. This belongs to a super-large item, and it is also an important agricultural tool and means of transportation. He has to go back and discuss it with A Qing.

Something worth several thousand yuan, if he doesn't discuss it with her, she will probably be very, very angry.

He already has a criminal record, having acted first and reported later many times, so he can't commit it again, lest he be thrown into the cold palace.

And during this period, he is ordering boats, wanting to buy shops, wanting to buy land to build workshops, and wanting to add floors to the house. Every one of them has to spend a lot of money. He has to go back and calculate an account with A Qing.

He also has to see how many shops to buy first, how much the land costs. Once these are confirmed, if there is a lot of surplus money in his hands, he can consider the tractor.

He can't be impulsive, he has to control his spending.

Just now, it was indeed just passing by, which happened to poke the potential idea in his heart. Actually, he wasn't that anxious. Everyone was still waiting on the side of the road, how could he decide on the spot immediately.

Anyway, he will come over to ride the motorcycle in a while, and the two factories are close. If it is really confirmed, it will be fine to book it then.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Ye Fu didn't ask anymore. It was very noisy during the tractor driving, and it was inconvenient to speak in a low voice, fearing he wouldn't hear. Speaking loudly, there were concerns.

Along the way, they continued to look at the scenery on the road. There were many villages and farmland around the motorcycle factory, and there were many farmers coming and going, which was a distance from the buildings they saw when they passed by before.

The buildings being built now give everyone who is used to low, flat houses a sense of shock, making people excited. Although it won't count for anything in the future, this is a feature of the progress of this era.

It also gave everyone a signal that the era is really different.

When the tractor drove to the urban area again, Uncle Zhou found a slightly empty place and stopped first, letting them walk over, so as not to be too close to the crowd and unable to move.

It happened that the place he stopped was still a park. When they jumped off the car, they saw that most of the people walking in the park were young men and women, as well as those with children and the elderly.

"It's quite beautiful, there's even a park, it really is the provincial capital."

"Hey, someone is playing disco in front."

"What kind of thing?"

"Over there, look, there are young people dancing there."

They walked forward a few steps to look. A group of men and women dressed in flashy clothes were dancing to the music in the empty lot in front. Some men were combing their hair back and wearing toad glasses, wearing floral shirts and bell-bottom pants, and some were wearing suspenders.

A Guang said with envy, "They are so trendy dressed like this, and they can even dance."

"They're just idle."

"The educated youth have all returned to the city, so the streets in the city are now full of young people."

"Let's go, let's continue to look forward, leave the things to Uncle Zhou to watch."

Although there are two suitcases, there is no money inside, and nothing valuable, so it doesn't matter.

A Guang and the others are just accompanying, and they only put a hundred yuan or so on their bodies to buy things.

The tractor drove all the way just now, and they found that the street they just passed was very lively. Now that they got off, it was indeed so. There is a park here, and they also noticed that there is a department store in front.

There should be quite a few pedestrians on other streets, and I don't know which street the cinema is on. There should probably be agricultural trade markets and the like, and there are skating rinks. These places must be the most crowded.

The provincial capital looks really stronger than their city. Although it hasn't developed yet and belongs to the waiting-to-be-rejuvenated, the streets look wider than the city, the road surface is basically all flat, there are many people, and they have seen two buses passing by.

Ye Yaodong and the others walked and looked, planning to find something to eat first. They spent the whole day in the car just eating eggs and fish balls, and hadn't eaten a proper meal.

After strolling for a while, he had already seen no less than three stalls selling provincial capital fish balls, all using flatbed carts to put two coal stoves, setting up two tables and chairs, and setting up a stall.

There were even more selling tea eggs, as well as popcorn, malt sugar, rice sticks, and various snacks that children like. There were hawking sounds everywhere, and they were all mobile.

A Guang looked left and right while walking, "It's really lively, but I feel like there's no difference between these foods and ours? We have these foods too, it's just that the vendors don't come to the door every day."

"I didn't ask you to come here just to look at food, but to look at the buildings, the city appearance, and the clothes of these city people. You have to look at food, clothing, housing, and transportation."

"It's really stronger than the city. Just now, many people took that bus, and the city people are dressed well, and the buildings are so tall."

"This road surface is so flat, it's great, you're not afraid of mud on your feet on rainy days."

"Right, Uncle Zhou said before that it's completely different from when he came ten years ago. He knows better than us, saying it's a complete change."

Ye Yaodong followed and said, "That's why I asked you to come out and see. If you don't come out, you don't know what the outside has developed into. You thought the towns outside were the same as our village, all low, flat houses and yellow dirt roads, all dressed in grey."

Everyone nodded, their eyes not enough to see, looking around. This is just one street, and they saw other streets at the fork in the road before, which were not small and had many people.

Ye Yaodong: "Stroll slowly, look slowly. The provincial capital is definitely larger than the city, and it's also livelier."

Pei Fu: "Let's find a place to eat first."

A Guang: "What time is it to eat? Just eat something on the side of the road?"

Ye Yaodong: "There is a state-run restaurant over there, let's go there and stir-fry two dishes."

Ye Fu: "No food stamps."

Ye Yaodong: "What food stamps do you need at this time? Now you can just add some money and don't need stamps, or ask the waiter to buy stamps."

A Guang: "Then go, go, go, go to the state-run restaurant. I've never eaten in such a big shop in my life, and it's a state-run restaurant in the provincial capital. When I go back to the village, I can brag about it."

Pei Fu laughed, "Indeed, I can brag when I go back to the village."

Ye Fu: "Should have called Uncle Zhou to eat together."

Ye Yaodong: "Go over and see first, it's not far. If you can order dishes, we'll go call Uncle Zhou to eat together."

The state-run restaurant has a large red sign hanging at the door, and the interior is particularly simple, with only a few square tables.

It's not meal time, and it's empty, with only a waiter sitting and dozing off.

Ye Yaodong patted him, saying he was here to eat and had no stamps. The waiter looked them up and down, then knocked on a wooden board on the wall.

"This is today's dish, see which one you want, the price is behind, the high price is without stamps."

There were only four dishes, two meat and two vegetable, a braised pork, a potato stir-fried chicken, a shiitake mushroom green vegetable, and a stir-fried spinach.

Ye Yaodong thought that the meals in this era were all large portions, but they had five adult men, and they could eat a lot. They wanted all four dishes, and the four dishes plus rice cost three yuan and eight.

If you say it's expensive, it's not expensive for them; if you say it's cheap, it's not cheap for people in this era. A meal costs at least a day and a half's wages. If you are not a wage earner, no one is willing to come here to eat.

Ye Fu also took advantage of the time when the dishes were served to call Uncle Zhou to eat together.

After Uncle Zhou came in carrying two suitcases and two cloth bags, the waiter became enthusiastic, unlike the indifference just now.

This is the charm of the suitcase.

After the dishes were served, it really didn't live up to his expectations. They were all large plates with super large portions. According to him, this price is actually not expensive.

A portion of braised pork is at least one jin. This kind of pork belly costs one yuan and five per jin, and the chicken has half a small one.

Everyone hadn't eaten a proper meal all day, and they were all wolfing it down, but after entering their mouths, they all held it without moving.

"So sweet?"

"Is sugar free?"

"Sweeter than our dishes."

"Shh, just eat quickly, maybe the dishes here are sweet."

"It's okay to eat with rice, eat quickly, don't waste it, these cost several yuan, after eating, stroll around, and have to find a guesthouse." ===== CHAPTER 951 =====